Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury & 4 other fantasy matchups that didn't happen because of Dana White

Dana White at UFC 236: Holloway v Poirier 2
Dana White at UFC 236: Holloway v Poirier 2

#4. Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano

Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey have been linked to each other throughout much of Rousey's MMA career, despite Carano's retirement from the sport back in 2009 after suffering a devastating TKO loss to Cris Cyborg.

To this day, she has not returned to the sport of mixed martial arts. At the height of Rousey's popularity circa 2014, a dream matchup with Gina Carano became a hot topic due to the superficial similarities between the two athletes. Not long afterwards, Dana White expressed a similar interest in the bout and established an official line of communication with Carano.

youtube-cover

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

The UFC president offered the mixed martial artist-turned-Hollywood actress a large sum of money for the matchup: a rumored $1 million payday. While Carano accepted the offer, she did so under the impression that she'd be given ample time to prepare for the bout as she had not fought professionally in five years at the time.

Dana White, however, immediately announced the bout in the media. When the former Strikeforce champion expressed her surprise over his announcement, citing that she didn't even have a fight camp assembled, White used the media to pressure her. Before long, a text message from Dana White describing Carano in insulting terms found its way to her, bringing an end to the bout before she could even begin training for it, all due to the UFC President's conduct.


#3. Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko

There were multiple superfights during the 2010s that fans expressed an interest in seeing. Among those fights were Georges St-Pierre vs. Anderson Silva, Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones, and Jon Jones vs. Cain Velasquez.

None of those fights ever materialized, partly due to Dana White's low interest in booking them. However, one fight from that era that the UFC President did fight ardently to book was the heavyweight superfight between Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko. At the time, Brock Lesnar was the biggest star in UFC history, while Fedor Emelianenko was widely considered the greatest heavyweight in MMA history.

While White offered the Russian legend an estimated $2 million payday and an immediate title fight with the then reigning UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, Emelianenko questioned Dana White's conduct during the negotiations.

According to Emelianenko, the UFC President gave the impression of someone who valued money over respect, so 'The Emperor' expressed his belief that White had no respect for fighters and even claimed that he felt the UFC President had no respect for any human being.

Due to the horrible impression Dana White left on Emelianenko, the Russian ultimately refused the UFC's offer, with even White describing his failure to schedule the bout as one of his only regrets.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Quick Links

Edited by kennedyking2016
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications